Flowers Grow From Dirt
by SuperWhoPotterPie
Summary: Dani Winchester is Dean's twin and Sam's older sister. She's a badass hunter, but there's much more to her than that. This is a sisfic but hopefully, it has an original spin on it. Eventual Cas/OC but begins pre-season and season 1. Won't follow every episode, just some favourites. Rated T for swearing and some mature themes consistent with the show.
1. Prologue

"Dani, down!" Dean shouted as if it were a regular occurrence to fire a shotgun over your sister's head. Dani dropped to the muddy floor as dean fired into the apparition behind her.

"Thanks", Dani said getting up from the floor and lighting a zippo to throw into the grave before her. A scream erupted into the night air and the pale figure of a woman burst into flames before turning to nothing and return the night to its previous silence.

Dean grabbed the shovel, salt, and shotgun and swung his arm over Dani's shoulder; while she was not below average, she had not been blessed with extraordinary height like her brothers. "Just another day at the office. I'm ready to get back to the motel and crash." And Dean was right, this was another day at the office for the Winchesters. A routine salt 'n' burn. A ghost had been haunting the local woods where she was murdered in the 60s, but the details were unimportant now that the job was done. This case would blur with a hundred other cases of ghosts and Dani would let the memories dwindle. The job was done, and the people were saved – that was what mattered.

As they approached the sleek black impala which almost camouflaged itself in the darkness outside the graveyard, Dean climbed into the driver's side and started towards their 'home' for the month.

Once at the motel, the door flew open and a slight figure aged around 14 flew out and paced towards Dean and Dani. "How was it? Did you get her? Are you ok? You didn't need to leave me behind, I need the practice anyways Dad says", the boy rattled off questions in quick succession looking expectantly at his big brother and sister.

"It was fine Sammy, simple salt and burn like I said. We put Casper down", Dean placated his younger brother, ruffling his mop of hair.

"Dad might think you need the practice, but I think you're a fine hunter, Sammy. There was just no need for you to be put in needless danger when me and Dean could handle it. Plus, you had schoolwork you needed to do."

"Thanks, Dani", Sam said blushing slightly at her praise but being grateful, nonetheless. He wasn't necessarily disappointed he had missed out the hunt, he just worried about his siblings when they hunted without him.

Dean and Dani were twins of 18 years and had graduated months ago, Dani with some average grades, and Dean with some not so average grades, while Sammy still attended school when he could. In other words, when their Dad wasn't moving them across the country every couple of weeks. This was one of those rare occasions when they stayed in one place for weeks or even a few months at a time as John had trusted Dean and Dani with the simple ghostbusting, while he worked a separate case a few towns over. Dani knew Sam wasn't made for this life, didn't enjoy this life in the slightest, and so tried to give him as normal a childhood as she could. He enjoyed and excelled at academics, so whenever he could she would encourage him to relax on the hunting and instead focus on school. Sammy would forever be grateful for her efforts, especially when their Dad was unhappy at her for it. Dean didn't understand Sammy as much as Dani did, but he didn't argue with her when she acted in Sammy's interests. Dean just wanted his siblings to be happy and his Dad to be proud of him.

Dani also made it her mission to understand Dean. She knew how he craved their father's approval, so she played him up when filling their Dad in about a hunt. Dean was cut out for the hunting life, was a natural at it even, but she knew him more deeply, saw his passion for family, saw his nerdiness, understood his need for approval and love. The only way Dean knew how to live his life was to hunt and make John proud. It was also his responsibility to "look out for Sammy and Dani" as the oldest of the Winchester siblings. A ridiculous pressure to put on a child if you asked Dani, but it was ingrained in Dean now. Dani tried to make herself a small burden on Dean's already weighted shoulders.

She thought about her brothers and their needs so much so, that by the time she hit adulthood, she didn't know what she wanted. What did she enjoy? What did she want from life? It didn't matter to her anymore; this was how it is. Sammy would probably leave sometime, and it would break her heart to see him go but she would support him regardless because she wants him to be happy and live his best life. Dean would never stop hunting, and so she will continue to hunt for the rest her probable short life also because he needs someone by his side. She's a good hunter, maybe even an excellent one, with keen instincts, a wealth of occult knowledge, decent people skills, and a bit of a general badass but she wouldn't say that out loud. Despite her skill, she doesn't share the same enjoyment Dean does in the hunting life. She doesn't get a thrill from destroying the evil, rather she revels in the knowledge that she saved people. The downside to this is that she takes it hard when they can't save someone. She doesn't know if hunting is her life or not. She doesn't really know any different. She is neither satisfied nor unhappy with her life – she just _is._

She'd known this was always going to be the way, so then why did she still feel so crushed? Sammy had left for college. This would have been fine in any normal family but when had the Winchesters ever been normal? Sammy had gone to Stanford, and John had flipped out. The argument of the century ensued, concluding in John Winchester telling his own son to never come back. Dean stayed mostly silent, only the occasional pleading to either side to calm down and think things through. For the bravest person Dani knew, Dean sure could be a jellyfish when it came to familial disputes.

Ignoring Dean, Dani threw a disgusted look at her father, and raced off after her baby brother, catching up to him halfway down the block. "Sammy! Sammy, wait please! I- "

"Dani if you're going to tell me Dad didn't mean it and that I should stay then- "

"Samuel Winchester do you know me at all? I came after you to say goodbye. To tell you that it breaks my heart to see you go and I will miss you every day and I'll even miss the smell of your freaking socks, and the amount of time you take in the shower, and the constant bickering between you and Dean. But I'm glad I'm going to miss you if it means you're off living the life you want to live. You are going to thrive at college Sammy Winchester. The world won't know what hit them, and I am always so proud of you. And if you think for a second this is a real goodbye from me you have another thing coming. I want weekly phone calls that last at least 2 hours, and regular emails and grade reports, and let me know when you meet a girl because I can't wait to meet her and tell her embarrassing stories about you…What?" She stopped wilding gesticulating for a moment to see Sam smirking at her with watery eyes.

"Are you done?" He asked, voice cracking slightly.

"I guess", Dani shrugged, now looking slightly embarrassed and apprehensive.

The Sam's arms were around her and her five-foot-five frame was enveloped by his six foot four one. "Thank you, Dani. You always know what to say. Tell Dean I get why he's mad and I'm sorry, but I have to do this. Of course I'll call you at least twice a week and maybe when I'm settled you could come visit me? I'll give you a tour of campus?"

"I'd love that, Sammy." Now she had said her peace it was started to dawn on her that this could be the last time in a while she sees her baby brother. Her whole life he had been the next room over. She had always been able to look about for him, on hunts or at school, and now there was going to be states separating them. Now she was getting tearful, but she sucked it up for Sammy, always trying to stay strong for him. "You call me when you get enrolled and let me know you're safe ok? I love you, you not-so-little-anymore-squirt."

"Love you too you doofus". Dani wrapped her arms around his neck on tip toes one last time, held herself there for a moment, and then backed off, performing a shooing motion with her arms. Sam held up a half-hearted wave and tuned his back heading for the bus station.

By the time Dani got back to their motel room, John was gone, presumably to drink away his frustrations, leaving only Dean and Dani. As soon as she made eye contact with her (7 minutes) older brother she burst into silent tear and ran to him. Dean caught her in his arms and sat them down on the rickety motel bed. No words were said. None were needed, maybe because of the 'twin thing' maybe not. Sammy had left the life, and therefore left them. Nothing would be the same.


	2. The old gang

PILOT

"Come on, Dani. Things to do, people to see, or whatever", Dani groaned and hid under her covers as Dean tried to wake her from her slumber. Well he's chipper this morning, she thought. She had no idea why he was so eager to be up this particular morning. They were not currently working a job, only waiting for their father to return with increasing worry about him. However, it wasn't unusual for John Winchester to go MIA.

Dani dragged herself from her warm sheets and trudged to the small and grimy motel bathroom. She stared for a moment in the mirror on the wall, trying to untangle her mess of brown hair. She liked her hair long but for practicality reasons it almost always resided in two tight French braids. The last thing she needed was to let a monster get the drop one her because her hair got in her face.

Splashing water on her face, she absentmindedly noticed the gap in her eyebrow, caused by the faint scar that spanned two inches across her head, just stopping before bottle green eyes. The same eyes as Dean. Just like with every scar and blemish littering her olive toned skin, she remembered the moment she earned it; this one had been granted by a werewolf when she was 16. Damn, there had been so much blood. Dean had freaked, thinking it was his fault. Sammy was silent the whole way back to the motel, in shock. Their Dad of course had maintained a cool head, advancing on the werewolf and putting it down with silver bullets. There probably wasn't any need to empty his clip into the beast. He rushed his kids back to the motel, Dean staying with his sister in the back seat with an old shirt pressed to her head. He seemed calm and calculated, however anyone who knew John could see his façade cracking at his only daughter being hurt.

Emerging from the shower, already dressed in worn blue jeans and a tank top, halfway through a signature braid, Dani was still confused as to Dean's rush this morning. He was already dressed, packed, and tying his boots.

"Dean what's the rush? Where are we going? We've got no leads on Dad," Dani questioned him, finishing her hair and throwing on a plaid shirt.

"Exactly. We've got no leads on Dad. We need help. So we're going to get Sammy."

With one combat boot tied, and the other in her hand, Dani's other shoe quite literally dropped, "We're what?"

The car journey was tense. Dani was fuming. Dean was ignoring her anger.

She began the same argument for what felt like the hundredth time, "Dean, please, why are you dragging Sammy back into this? He's happy, he's got a girl, he's normal. Just leave him be Dean please we can handle Dad on our own." Dani swapped from anger to pleading, her protective side for her baby brother appearing.

"He's not ever been and won't ever be normal, Dani, you should know that. And like it or not, we have no clues on Dad, no idea where he could be or if he's ok or what. We need help." She could see his point, they were completely lost on where to begin with finding their Dad, and Sam was always the smartest of the siblings. But she knew that wasn't why Dean was really doing this.

"You miss him," Dani stated simply.

"Yeah. I miss him," Dean spoke quietly, as if admitting some horrible secret. He always could be himself with his twin. There was no point even trying to hide things from her anyway, what with their freaky 'twin thing' and her general perceptivity. No-one else in the world got to see the true Dean Winchester but her, to know his true worries and dreams and everything else in between. With his twin sister he didn't have to be The Dean Winchester, he could just be Dean.

For a second he thought she would give in, seeing the true reason behind this day long trip to California, when she burst out, "So pick up a goddamn phone and call your brother, you stubborn ass! Or better yet, take him to lunch! Meet his girl! Don't drag him back into this shitshow!"

"Sorry sweetheart, you know that's not how I roll," Dean responded, smirking at her outburst. So, they continued heading to Stanford at full speed, watching the daylight disappear through the window.

Upon arrival, Dani was still being stubborn about enlisting Sammy into the search for their father, so she waited petulantly in the Impala. However, when she squinted through the darkness out the passenger side, she caught sight of Dean climbing through the apartment window. "Oh this isn't going to end well," she mutters to herself before exiting the car and heading towards the apartment.

She walks into the dark room, just in time to see Dean pinning their little brother to the floor, both panting slightly. "Woah, easy, tiger," Dean teases in amusement.

"Dean?" Sam askes in confusion, "You scared the crap out of me!"

"That's because you're out of practice," Dean replies cheekily.

In the next moment Sam takes a shot at his older brother and flip their positions, so Sam is now pinning Dean. "Or not…Get off of me."

"Dean, what are you doing here? Is Dani here? Is Dad?" Sam asks in quick succession.

On cue, Dani walks out from the shadows and collides with Sam, "Hiya Sammy. I missed you."

"Miss you too, short-stuff," Sam returns the hug tightly before looking between his siblings with a serious expression. "You guys need to explain."

In typical Winchester fashion, an argument ensued, Dani standing off to the side silently. She didn't want to include Sam in this, but she couldn't deny the primal need for her family to be back together, doing what they do best.

"So, Dad lets you both hunt alone now does he?" Sam questions.

"Well we're never alone, we have each other's backs," Dani replies.

Dean interjects, "Plus, we're twenty-six, dude." Dean goes on to explain the last known whereabouts of their father – Jericho, California – and the case he was working before he disappeared. Sam explains how he has an interview the next day and can't miss it. Dani smiles encouragingly at Sam for following through with school and a career.

The twins wait in the car for Sam while he says goodbye to Jess. He climbs into the passenger seat that Dani had left for him while she perches on the back seat. She wraps one arm each around her brother's necks, leaning to Sammy and says "I was very against dragging you back into this, Sammy, but I can't stop being happy you're here." Dean groans at her soppy moment and speeds off down the road.

Of course, Dani doesn't get long to enjoy having both her brothers in one place for long. After arriving in town, Dean insulting officers of the law, speaking to the deceased's girlfriend, and discovering Constance Welch could be their killer, the boys erupt into yet another argument.

Dani for the most part lets them hash it out, standing on the side lines rolling her eyes, but jumps in when Dean takes Sam by the collar, pushing him up against the railings of the bridge after Sam makes a ill-judged comment about their mother.

"Don't talk about her like that," Dean growls.

Dani throws herself between her brothers, smacking Dean's hands from Sam, "Dean! Enough. And Sammy watch your mouth."

One by one the siblings notice the women on the edge of the bridge. The ghost throws herself over the bridge. "Was that..?" Dani queries.

"Where'd she go?" Dean asks just as the Impala lights flash on.

"Dean who the hell is driving our car?" Dani asks in a worried tone.

The impala heads straight for them, not giving them enough time to outrun it. The only choice they have is to jump.

A wet thump can be heard and then silence as the siblings get their bearings. Dani was still half expecting to feel an impact, barely believing she had managed to grab hold of the railing by her fingertips, when she feels the pressure round her torso, and realizing that someone has a hold of the back of her shirt. She peels her eyes open and sees Sam clinging securely to the bridge, with one arm held onto her. She beams up at him, getting a better grip on the railing, and begins to pull herself up along with Sam.

One stable ground once again, both siblings look around and over the bridge. "Where's Dean?" Dani asks, beginning to panic. Both siblings now begin hollering for their older brother.

"What?" Dean emerges from the swampy water below, gross but unharmed.

They check into a motel only to find their father's room from when he was working the case. The siblings realise that their father had cracked the case, discovering that Constance Welch was a woman in white, but he hadn't stuck been able to finish the job. Dean then had to piss off an officer and get arrested, leaving Sam and Dani to get hi out of jail while working the case.

Dani stands in a phone booth having just typed in 911.

"911 what's your emergency?" the operator asks in a monotone voice.

Dani outs on her best 'damsel in distress act for the operator. "Help! I heard gunshots! I'm outside the local diner and I think it's being robbed!" She quickly hangs up knowing that was enough information to get the whole police department out of the precinct. She doesn't feel good about the fake call but it was a means to an end.

Sam is chuckling at his sister's theatrics, "you know if you wanted another career you should go into acting. Its scary how you can switch it on and off like that."

The youngest Winchester siblings cruise down the blacktop when Sam break the silence, "so, speaking of career changes…how's your side project going? Does Dean know yet?"

Dani cringes slightly at the secretive nature of the topic. "He doesn't not know; I just think he likes to remain ignorant. He knows I do stuff online, and I've had to leave to sit a couple of exams here and there, but we don't really talk about it. Not since the argument."

"Well," Sam begins, "I think what you're doing is awesome and I'm really proud of you for making it work."

"Thanks, little brother."

They receive a phone call from Dean telling them that their Dad had already skipped town leaving them coordinates when Sam suddenly slams on the breaks sending Dani flying forward.

"Sam, what the he"- she breaks off when she notices what Sam had seconds before. Constance is sitting in the back of the Impala glaring at Sam. They both try to pry the doors open but Constance has them shut with supernatural power.

"Take me home", She pushes the gas pedal down causing the car to rocket down the highway towards her home. Dani and Sam share panicked looks.

The Impala arrives at an abandoned house in seemingly the middle of nowhere. "Don't do this," Sam pleads.

"I can never go home," Constance repeats. She begins to advance on Sam, climbing on top of him.

"Hey! Back off!" Dani growls in defence of her brother.

Constance seems to notice Dani for the first time, "I don't want you." The passenger side door swings open and Dani feels her whole body being yanked back, the feeling of flying, and then hard ground and pain.

Dani doesn't want to get up or open her eyes even as she hears a crash and more commotion. Then she hears her name being called by both brothers. She very confused as to how and when Dean got to the house. She realizes they can't find her so she forces herself up on her arms, waving in their general direction. Two figures come speeding towards her and before she knows it arms are pulling her up and eyes are staring at her.

"Hiya, boys. Did you get the asshat?"

"Yeah. Sammy took her home and she disappeared. Are you ok? Where are you hurt?" Dean asks uninterested with the monster, only concern being on her.

"Sort of everywhere, Dean. I was thrown twenty feet out a car by a bitchy ghost lady," she quips. Seeing his genuine concern though she continues, "But I'll live. Just bruised and pissed. Lets get going guys."

As soon as Sam sees her walking towards the slightly dented Impala with a limp, he rushes to her and casually puts and arm round her middle. He knows full well that she doesn't want to be pandered to, but she could do with a little help for once. She appreciated the concern and the discretion.

In the car, Sam breaks it to Dean that he has to be back for that interview. Dean begrudgingly agrees to take him back to Stanford.

Dean says his goodbye to Sam in a typical 'no chick flick moments' way, while Dani has a slightly more tearful goodbye with her little brother. Sam goes back to his apple pie life and Dean and Dani get back on the road in search of their father.

A Dean flicks the radio on, it crackles and spurts static. Dani gets a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach and turns to Dean, "Sammy." Is all she needs to say.

"I know," Dean replies and spins into a U-turn back to Stanford.

When they arrive they immediately notice an orange glow in the first floor window, flinging the car doors open and rushing out.

"Stay here!" Dean barks at Dani.

"Like hell!" Dani hollers back and takes off, overtaking Dean, into the apartment.

The scene they run into is sickening. Sam is screaming on the bed staring like a wild animal up at his love, burning on the ceiling. The fire is quickly spreading. Dean acts quickly grabbing his brother from the bed and shoving him towards the door. Dani hesitates, staring up at Jess. Jess was a lovely person, so well suited to Sam, and she was crushed for Sam and for the loss of Jess. But that wasn't the only reason she couldn't bring herself to look away. In that moment she saw someone else stuck to that ceiling. Same blond locks, different woman.

She was broken from her trance by Dean grabbing her wrist and tugging her away, while he also had to wrestle Sam from the room. He was shouting at her, and at Sam but she could only hear the fire and white noise. Next thing she knew, they were outside, and the heat was replaced with cold night air. Maybe that's why she's shivering. Sam. Oh poor Sam. Here she was having some sort of episode and he's the one who just lost the love of his life. She went over to him and embraced him numbly, but Sam couldn't bring himself to return it.

Dani thinks to herself for a second time in not so many years that nothing would be the same again.


	3. Memories

**A/N: This one's just a short one, sort of like a filler and some background to Dani. A longer chapter will follow soon. Thanks to anyone who has followed, liked, or just shown an interest in this story!**

It had been weeks since Jess had died.

They'd continued looking for Dad, following his tracks and working jobs along the way. They saved a little boy from a water spirit, they'd stopped a plane from crashing and killing hundreds of people – just another job for the Winchesters. Then Dean had gone and got himself copied by a shapeshifter resulting in him now being a dead serial killer to the rest of the world. She still had the heeby-jeebies about the last case they worked where they were attacked by millions of bugs. Ugh, that hadn't been her idea of a good night.

Now, they were searching for their next job in a standard, crappy motel room, Dean listing out possibilities to Sam and Dani. Dean and Sam quipped at each other about Sam not paying attention before Sam piped up, "I know where we have to go next."

"Where?" Dean asked, intrigued.

"Back home. Back to Kansas."

Dani started hearing ringing in her ears as her brothers continued. She registered Sam's need to go back to their literal old home, the exact house where it had all started.

Dani pulled on a hoody shakily in her haste to get out of the motel room. She needed air. She had been trying to put thoughts of Jess out of her mind for weeks now. With thoughts of that night came memories of the night she had previously blocked. Of her mother.

Sam and Dean shared a concerned look as Dani raced out of the room without a word to them. Weird. Dean gave a Sam a nod which silently said "I've got her", and followed her out to the parking lot.

"We need to talk," Dean said ominously.

"What's up?" Dani tried to remain casual.

"What the hell is going on with you? I know we haven't spoken about it but we both know you've been weird since that night with Jess" Dean began.

"I don't know what you mean, Dean. I've just been upset is all. I met Jess a couple times and I liked her," Dani tried to play it off.

"No, I meant what happened to you that night?" Dani was shocked. She hadn't realised Dean noticed anything in the throws of whatever the hell happened in that room. Yet again she was underestimating her brother by assuming he wouldn't be focussing on his siblings and their well-being. "You never freeze, Daniella. So, what happened?"

She blinked in shock at the use of her birth name. Dean meant business. He only ever used her name when she was either in big trouble, or he was very, very concerned. She assumed it was because of the latter on this occasion.

Daniella had been her 'normal' name, or that's the way she had always thought about it. Her name and identity before that thing killed her mother and changed their path in life. Daniella was the carefree little girl who had wore pretty pink dresses and got them covered in mud as she played in the garden with her twin. Daniella had a mummy and a daddy who loved her more than anything. Daniella had a future with marriage and maybe kids and could grow old with her stupid brothers. Daniella didn't exist anymore as far as she was concerned. Not long after the fire, John had increasingly begun calling her Dani. Quick and short. Easy when barking orders. Dani had become her knew hunter identity.

Dean immediately saw through her, "Cut the bull, Dani, when have you been able to lie to me in our entire life?"

Dani tried to lighten the mood while also changing the subject, "How about when I told you I wasn't going to the prom with anyone, and then you caught me behind the bleachers doing ungodly things wi-,"

"OK enough! I've spent 12 years trying to forget that image! And don't try changing the subject."

Dammit, Dani thought.

Dean was still looking expectantly at her.

In a fragile voice she didn't even know she had, Dani confessed to Dean, "I remembered."

"You remembered what, Dani?"

"I remembered Mom. The night she- the night she looked like Jess did."

Silence.

Dean didn't know how to respond to that confession. From his perspective from that night, he remembered the heat, their dad screaming, and then the weight of baby Sammy in his arms and being told to take his brother and sister outside as fast he could. He tried, he did. But he was four freaking years old and it took both his arms to hold Sammy at six months old and it was so hot and smoky he had just assumed Dani had been right behind him. He'd never thought anything of it that when his Dad emerged from the burning building, he was carrying little Daniella in his arms, her face pale and eyes wide. He'd been annoyed at himself for not making sure she was safe with him, but why did it matter when she came out perfectly unharmed in their father's arms? Now he realised the consequences of that four-year-old boy's mistake.

"You saw her?" Dean choked out.

Dani shrugged, "I guess. I think I must have blanked it out all these years but then when I saw Jess… Dean, it was the same. The same thing that killed mom, killed Jess. I'm sure of it."

"Dani I… I'm so sorry. I should have made sure you were with me that night. I just… I had Sammy and it was so hot and I- God I can't imagine," Dean rambled getting increasingly upset.

"Woah, Dean, clam down. It's ok none of this is your fault. You were four years old for god sake! It was not your job to protect me. And shit, I am endlessly grateful that you didn't see what I saw…what I heard or smelt," Dani began to feel bile rise in her throat. She hadn't thought about what she went through on that day in years, over a decade even, hence the repressed memories. But now it was all coming back to her in HD detail obviously thanks to last night's ordeal.

Dean knew it was coming before she did, quickly gathering her hair up in one, hand while his other went to her back, just as she doubled over and emptied her stomach of its content.

"Ok, Dani, you're ok. Let it out, sweetheart," Dean muttered comforting words while heaved until nothing was left, rubbing soothing circles into her back. "I tried to tell Sammy, to explain how we can't go back there but, he has a point. If someone is in danger, some other family, we gotta help them, Dani."

Dani schooled herself, "Yeah I know, Dean. We gotta go back," and with that resolution, she trudged back towards to motel.

"We're not done talking about your little confession, you know!" Dean called after her. She threw a hand in the air in dismissal.

It was going to be one hell of a day.


	4. Repeats

They'd arrive and made acquaintances with the current family living in their old home, Jenny and her two kids were sweet. They didn't deserve the baggage the house came with, or the impending danger Sam was sure they were going to face.

They were now following up on a lead that their Dad had visited a psychic named Missouri shortly after their mom's death. Dani liked Missouri, she was strong and knowledgeable, and most of all she appreciated how the older woman wasn't afraid to put Dean in his place.

Dean for his part, had been constantly aware of his sister throughout the day. He thought he was being subtle, but Dani could feel the hovering of her concerned twin. She didn't mind so much.

Missouri had checked out the house and decided on a game plan to oust the spirit wreaking havoc on Jenny's home. They were to purify the house by placing Missouri's home-made goody bags in the walls of the building. The only problem was, they had to do it before the spirit worked out what they were doing and punished them accordingly.

Dean was designated the ground floor, in the kitchen, Sam was upstairs in one of the bedrooms, and Dani was to help Missouri in the basement. They all parted to their zones and began making holes in the drywall.

As Missouri was readying the herb bags, Dani was creating a hole in the wall, conscious of it being Jenny's home, when she heard bangs from the floor above. She knew Dean could handle himself, but she still hesitated for a second, glancing at the ceiling. It was in this moment of distraction that Missouri squeaked in pain and surprise as a table pinned her to the wall. Dani went to help her immediately but was stopped when a six-foot bookcase came crashing on top of her from somewhere in the cluttered basement. She was winded for several minutes, barely able to breathe, when Missouri must have been freed from the invisible force and began calling for Sam and Dean as she tried to pry the oak structure from Dani.

Dean came barrelling down the staircase, Sam a little further behind and unsteady on his feet, but both lifted the bookcase of their sister with relative ease. For a minute she laid prone, her eyes squeezed shut in pain. Sam kneeled over her whilst Dean stood called her name worriedly.

Once she realised she could breathe with minimal pain again, she opened her eyes and smiled at her brothers, "So we got it? Nice. Go team. I'd like to purchase some new ribs now please." Her brothers scoffed at her jesting and the headed back upstairs.

* * *

"So you go choked out by a poltergeist, and you were target practice," Dani asked Sam and Dean respectively. "Damn. If we hadn't roasted this asshole already, I'd kill it slowly. Dean would you stop that I said I'm fine it just knocked the wind out me is all," Dean had been prodding Dani's ribs, gauging whether they were broken or not. They had all had enough broken and cracked ribs to know when this was the case.

Dean held up his hands in surrender as Jenny returned home with her children.

Two hours later and the three Winchesters were back inside the Impala, but not on the road as Dani and Dean had hoped they would be. Sam had insisted on them staying, stating there was still something bugging him about the house. The older two decided to appease their little brother, staking out their old residence.

Dani had just been dozing when Sam jolted the whole car jumping up and pointing to the upstairs window. Jenny was banging against the glass, an orange glow forming behind her.

All three bolted out of the car, Dean commanding "I'll get Jenny, you get the kids!"

As they reached the top of the stairs, Dani dodged left into Ritchie's room, and Sam into his old nursery where Sari was fear-stricken on her bed. The fire seemed to be emanating from her closet, just as she had previously said. The younger Winchesters met again on the landing, each with a child in their arms and rushed downstairs. Sam put Sari on the ground and Dani immediately gives her little Richie.

Dani, as if only just taking in her surroundings, freezes. She vaguely hears Sam telling Sari to take her little brother outside. The same words Dean had been told. In the very same house. It was all too much for her. She was shaken from her thoughts as the front door slammed shut, luckily with the children on the outside of it with their mother and Dean. Sam and Dani were then both dragged harshly backwards into the kitchen and pinned to the wall. They could hear their brother hacking furiously at the front door trying to get to them.

Once in, Dean tries to shoot at the flaming spirit he assumed was holding his siblings, but Sam stopped him, "No, don't! Don't!"

Dean pauses and Dani whips her head to look at Sam in disbelief.

"What? Why?" Dean shouts.

"Because I know who it is. I can see her now," is Sam's serene reply.

The image of their mother emerged from the flames and all three siblings stood in silent awe.

"Dean, Daniella," their mother says, looking between the twins, "I'm so proud of you." Turning to Sam next she whispers, "Sam. I'm sorry."

Mary Winchester turned to the ceiling and shouts, but Dani can't quite hear it over the ringing in her ears. She can see however as her mother burns up and disappears to nothing as if she had never been there to begin with. The force holding her and Sam to the wall is released and Dani crashes to the floor, her legs unable to hold her.

* * *

Sam and Dean were saying their goodbyes to Missouri and Jenny, but Dani couldn't bring herself to be out there. Instead, she sat in the back of the impala staring straight ahead.

Her brothers climb into the front seats and say something. She nods along, not knowing whether that's the appropriate response or not. She doesn't notice the concerned looks her brothers share on her behalf.

"Dani look at us, please. Actually look _at _us not _through _us," Sam begs his big sister. He's not used to seeing her…well seeing her whatever this is. Dean, however, knows his twin as well as she knows him.

"Daniella! Snap out of it!" Dean clicks his fingers in front of her face. He sounds harsh but she knows he means well. He's scared for her. The command that sounds so much like their father, and the full name breaks her from her daze. But what follows isn't better.

Tears immediately well in her eyes, beginning to brim over, and her breathing becomes erratic as she mumbles, "I didn't want to come back. You said I didn't have to go back. We said we'd never go back. Dean you promised. You promised me, Dean, we didn't have to go back. Ever. I didn't want to come back. I didn't want to go back…" she continues on repeat, getting hysterical.

Sam is scared and unsure what to do with his sister who had almost never cried in front of him, let alone have a full-on meltdown. He wasn't judging her; he was just out of his depth.

Dean automatically passed the car keys to Sam, got out of the front seat, and climbed into the back seat. He pulled Dani into his arms, stroking her hair, and whispered soothing words and apologies Sam couldn't quite hear.

"Drive, Sam," Dean ordered.

So Sam drove, glancing periodically into the rear-view mirror at his big brother and sister. It was at times like this, where Sam saw a rare soft side to Dean and Dani, that he realised how much they cared about him in order for them to have hidden their feelings from him. How they must have bottled so much up over the years for his sake. When they were kids, they would be brave so he wouldn't be scared. They would hide their annoyance at their father skipping town so Sam wouldn't feel like anything was wrong, or that he was any less loved than anyone else at school. They would mask their own sadness about their mother so that Sam could be the one that was comforted.

Sometimes, Sam found himself envious of the twin's bond, but mostly, especially in times like these, he was grateful. He was grateful they had each other. He was thankful they could be themselves with at least one other human being on the planet. Sam would be grateful for that mercy, even if it meant he wasn't that other human being.

Looking in the mirror again, Dani was curled into Dean's shoulder, hand scrunched loosely into his flannel shirt, while Dean had one arm slung over her shoulder, head lolling back against the headrest. Both were sleeping (somewhat) peacefully.


	5. Hey Jude

**I'm eager to move this story along, so this is a chapter is compiling important sibling bonding through season 1. This will happen again in later chapters as a way of avoiding rewriting the entire show. Thank for viewing! x**

"What do you have these amped up to?" Sam questioned his brother cautiously.

"Hundred thousand volts – I want this rawhead extra frickin' crispy."

Dani looked at her twin with a raised eyebrow. She had had a bad feeling about today since the moment she woke up. They were hunting a monster who had kidnapped two kids from the local area, so it wasn't like she was going to back out of the case. But the sensation in her gut persisted. Maybe it's just hormones.

"Like Kentucky fried crispy, or charcoal-grilled crispy?" Dani tried to joke, but her heart wasn't in it with the sick panicky feeling getting worse.

Dean barked a laugh at his sister and said, "so, everyone remember the plan?"

"Dean goes in first as the offense, Dani goes to grab the kids, and I take the rear to protect Dani and the kids," Sam rattled off easily.

"It's so sexist that I've gotta be the one to take the kids. Why don't I get a taser?" Dani groaned. She knew logically that she would be less intimidating to two children than her six-foot, hulking brothers, but she had to at least voice her annoyance.

"Because, one, the kids will go a lot faster with a woman. Like it or not, that's how the world works, my little feminist sister. And secondly, we only got the two tasers and me and Sam called dibs," Dean explained while checking his guns and strapping a knife to his leg.

Dani huffed but conceded, "Fine. Just be careful, please? I've got a bad feeling I can't shake."

Dean's only comfort to her was a pat on the shoulder as he walked past her. Sammy gave her a more understanding look but had no words of comfort either. They just thought she was being a worrywart again.

* * *

"Come on out, it's ok, me and my brothers are here to help you. I won't hurt you, I promise," Dani coaxed the children out their hiding place. Poor things must be traumatised. A young boy and a young girl. Probably not more than a year between them. She took one of their hands each and hurried them up the wooden staircase as Sam followed behind, watching Dani's six.

Dani felt the rickety stairs bounce, and Sam grunt as he was dragged down by the creature they were hunting. He quickly dismissed her, telling her to get the kids out. It went against Dani's every fibre, but she left her little brother, knowing Dean was down there with him and he wouldn't let anything happen to their Sammy. Plus, she had to get the little ones out to the Impala.

Just as she was getting the boy into the back seat, she felt the breath leave her lungs. A mixture between a roller coaster, or a punch to the gut. She looked around for the source of her discomfort when she was barraged again, but this time with a sharp pain to her chest, just slightly to the left. She pressed her hand to her chest and got her breath back. Something was wrong. Muttering something mildly comforting to the two children, she bolted back to the basement, the wrong, sick feeling far worse than when she woke up that morning.

When she heard Sam shouting, she was relieved for the slightest moment in the knowledge that he was alive. But as she rounded the bottom of the stairs, the breath was knocked out of her yet again as she saw her twin brother crumpled motionless on the wet floor, Sam cradling him.

"Dean?" Dani called in a voice she barely recognised. She sounded so young and afraid. Pulling herself together she adopted the military bravado her father had instilled in her. "Sammy, what happened?" She was instantly on her knees next to Sam, cradling Dean's face. Her fingers were pressed against his upper neck feeling for a pulse. Looking for any sign of life in her big brother. Looking back, she would be shocked at how controlled and calm she had acted, when it was all she could do not to break apart.

Dani stared at her motionless brother in the hospital bed. He was far too still. Hooked up to machines and tubes. He looked young. Fragile. She felt the panic building up again and so practised calming breaths and concentrated on something else, anything but her dy- her injured brother on the bed in front of her.

She focussed on the sensations around her; the cold and hard plastic of a hospital chair, the steady beep of the machine on her left, the smell of sterile air, the fading taste of coffee on her tongue which Sam had forced her to choke down when her shaking wouldn't cease. Of all the sensations, the beeping was most prominent, so much so that it began to annoy her, then enrage her. She was _so angry! _Angry at the world, angry at Dean for doing this to her, angry at herself for not protecting him, and angry at _that stupid frickin' incessant beeping!_

Shooting up from her chair she whirled to the wall and slammed her fist into it, barely even noticing the bruising pain or the split in her knuckle. Neither did she notice the water streaming from her eyes. Shakily, she sat back down in her seat, and began to drown out the beeping with noise of her own.

"_Hey Jude, don't make it bad, Take a sad song and make it better, Remember to let her into your heart, Then you can start to make it better. Hey Jude…"_

Sam found his sister like that, standing unnoticed in the doorway until she sang herself to sleep.

They'd found their Dad, or he'd found them. Then they lost him again…only to find him again. Dani was getting sick of her father's disappearing and reappearing acts. One moment they had to be apart for each other's safety, then the next they have to stick together to hunt some vamps?

Of course, she was glad to see her father alive and well, but that didn't mean she was on good terms with him. Sam was also having trouble getting along with John, but for different reasons to Dani, and she handled her disgruntlement in more subtle ways than her little brother. Sam's differenced with their father was how Dani found herself on the side of the road watching her little brother and her father have a macho showdown. To be fair, she was impressed they had lasted this long before exploding.

As Sam stormed out of the Impala towards their Dad's truck, the twins shared a knowing look.

They threw angry words at each other about why their Dad had been missing and now suddenly returned, and Dani had to admit she wanted these answers from her Dad too. But the argument took a bad turn when Sam had to go and bring up the 'Stanford Incident' and John whirled on Sam.

Seeing Dean was about to separate the two, Dani got there first and forced herself in between them, her outstretched hands facing her father, her body naturally forming a protective stance over Sammy.

"Hey! That is enough! There is way too much testosterone being thrown around here. Cool it, ok? That goes for both of you."

Dean looked at his sister with a proud quirk to his lips.

Sam storms off to the Impala, but John calls over to his daughter, "Hey Dani, sweetheart why don't you ride with me? We can catch up."

Dani can barely bring herself to look at her father, "No thanks, I'm good." She doesn't mean for the words to contain such malice.

John turns back to her with a dangerous look in his eye, "excuse me? Do I have to have words with you too, young lady?"

"Don't. Don't call me young lady, I'm a grown woman and I don't see you treating Sam or Dean like that," Dani bites back.

Dean realizes his sister is about to blow and tries to defuse the situation, "Come on guys, we've got vamps to kill. Never thought I'd say that."

"No, I wanna know where this attitude is coming from."

Danni muttered, "You don't wanna know."

"Yeah, I do, Daniella. I want to know where my daughter has found this bad attitude all of a sudden," John started advancing on her and Dean inched closer to Dani's side.

Dani finally gave up trying to keep the peace. If he wanted to know then she was going to give it to him. "Oh, come on! This isn't new, I just don't behave like Sam! That doesn't mean everything is fine and dandy between us and you know it!"

John was slightly shocked at his daughter's outburst. It wasn't the first time she had challenged him, she wasn't a replica of her twin, yet she had never butted heads with John as much as Sam had.  
"Then tell me, what's got you so bent out of shape that you treat your father with blatant disrespect?"

"Respect is earned, _sir_, and frankly I've lost that for you over the last year. We called you so many times. Not just because we needed our father, but because we were in real trouble. Dean nearly _died_ for fuck's sake! And I called and called and left messages on your voicemail, I know Sammy did too. We thought we were gonna lose him, Dad. And where were you?! Off hunting that fucking demon like always! Does family really come first with you? Its thanks to _Sam_ that I even have my big brother right now." The fire had left her towards the end of her rant, changing to a tone of sadness about the state of her family, and disappointment at her father rather than the anger she was previously feeling."

The fight had also left John. When she was angry, Dani reminded him so much of Mary.  
"Daniella…I'm sorry. I didn't get your voicemails until you had already called to say Dean was fine. And yes, I was too busy finding the demon. You all come first, before any hunt or monster, but sometimes I make mistakes. I'm sorry. I've let all three of you down a lot recently."

Surprised at her father's sensitivity, she didn't quite know how to react to his apology. She had been expecting an argument, a fight to break out even, but not an outright apology.  
"Thank you. For the apology. I'm not going to lie and say I'm over it, but I appreciate it, Dad. We all slip up sometimes, forget what's important. I know how important family is, so I don't want to fight anymore."

John nodded understandingly but didn't stop her from getting in the Impala with her scandalised brothers.

"Dude. You just ripped Dad a new one and he… apologised?" Dean looked at her with such confusion. He was genuinely worried for her safety when she had begun bellowing at their father.

Looking at her with admiration Sam said, "teach me your ways."

Laughter filled the car as the last half an hour of tension was replaced.

* * *

Their Dad had gone off to face Meg alone. That left Dani, Dean and Sam to watch over Monica, the woman Sam had a vision about. They knew where the demon was going to be, and they were going to end it. Tonight.

Each sibling's worry for their father manifested in a different way – Dean was unnaturally quiet, Sam was focussed on the job at hand distracting himself, and Dani was rocking the whole car with her shaking legs.

"It's coming," Is all Sam said and the three rush out of the car towards the house they were keeping watch over.

Dean struggled with the husband who believed he was bravely defending his family from intruders. Meanwhile, leaving Dean to keep the husband back, Sam and Dani run upstairs to the aid of Monica and baby Rosie. They entered the nursery just as Monica was sliding up against the wall. That's when they both saw it – the demon they had been hunting their entire life. Evil, snake-like yellow eyes were searing into them, and Dani could see a faint smirk on his human lips.

Shaken out of her reverie by Monica calling for her baby, Dani turned to Sam, "Sammy, shoot!" And he did, but the bullet of the colt merely indented itself in the wall of the nursery.

"Where the hell did it go?!"

"Leave it, Sam, just get her out of here I've got the baby!" Dani instructed her brother as she bundled Rosie up in blankets. Her mother was still screaming for her child and fighting Sam. Dani ran out into the hall straight into Dean, just as the nursery bursts into flames. She huddles over, forming a shield around the baby, and Dean in turn wrapping her into his chest.

With everyone safely outside the burning home, Sam was staring up at the nursery where he had his shot to finally kill the demon and failed. That's when he saw the silhouette of a figure in the nursery window.  
"It's still in there!" Sam cried.

Both Dean and Dani restrained him from moving further towards the burning building.

"Let me go, its still in there!" He persisted.

"Hey! No, it's burning to the ground. You'd be dead before you got up the stairs!" Dani argued with her baby brother.

"I don't care!" Sam shouted, scaring his older siblings. They had known Sam was desperate to kill the thing that had killed both their mother and his fiancé, but they hadn't realised the extent of his desperation.

"Well we do!" Dean roared at Sam, knocking him out of his suicidal mission.

* * *

_You're never going to see your father again._

The words echoed in Dani's mind. She and her dad had their differences, and she didn't regret what she had said to him, but she did regret that an argument could be the last interaction she had with her only remaining parent.

They'd called upon their old family friend, Bobby Singer, for help. Him and their Dad had been, well not necessarily friends, more like hunting buddies, for a time but had left on not so great terms. Bobby had been like an uncle to the Winchester siblings, they stayed with him many times when John couldn't afford to take them on a hunt with him. He was an old grouch of a man who maybe drank a little too much, but he cared for those three kids immensely. He taught Dean to throw a baseball, helped Sam with homework, hell, he was the one to drive to the grocery store and pick up pads for Dani when she had first come on and her and Dean both thought she was dying. He'd given the twins an extremely awkward run down of the birds and the bees after that fiasco.

"Boys. Dani. What trouble you got into now, ya idjits?" Bobby sounded hostile but held the door open, gesturing for them to come inside nonetheless.

They passed the usual tests for demonic possession or shapeshifters, and Dean was first to grab Bobby's hand in a strong shake. Bobby pulled him to his chest and gave him a firm pat on the shoulder. He moved onto Sam, who smiled with nostalgia, then Bobby turned to Dani who herself at him, wrapping her armed around his neck.

"Missed you, Bobby," Dani muttered to him.

They had trapped Meg in the devil's trap and begun to interrogate her, but as things started to get violent, Bobby informed them that Meg the demon was possessing Meg the helpless human girl. If they were to finish the exorcism, the girl would most likely die as she had fallen out a window. It was a tough call, but they had decided to let the girl go in peace. As she was drawing her last breaths, human Meg had given them a clue about where to find their father. Bobby instructed them to leave before the ambulance they had called arrived and people started asking difficult questions. They said rushed goodbyes and set off in search of their father.


	6. An Interesting Specimen

Dean wanted to bring the Colt. Sam wanted to leave the Colt. Dani knew Sam was being logical, but her gut told her to take the Colt just in case.

They found their Dad in an apartment block, drugged but mostly unharmed. Demons were swarming them from inside the building, leaving only the option of the fire escape. Sam got down first with a duffle bag, followed by Dani who was helping Dean aid their groggy father in their decent. She heard Sam's cry and whipped round to the sound of bone hitting flesh. She ignored the five rungs between her and the concrete and jumped down to Sam aid. She aimed an iron toed boot to the demon's chest, attempting to get it off her brother. She knew she was recklessly unarmed for a fight with a demon. With a flick of its wrist, Dani flew through the air, only to land a microsecond later on the hard asphalt, her right shoulder taking the brunt of the landing and skidding another foot. Road rash was a bitch. For a minute she was too shaken to move. She was psyching herself up to pounce when she heard the shattering of glass and a pained grunt. She looked to her left to see Dean embedded in the windscreen of a parked car. Helplessly, she saw Sammy was also injured, having his face pummelled into oblivion by the demon. Her dad was well and truly out of it, barely able to keep his eyes open. Just as she was looking around for a weapon, she heard a sharp bang and a thud.

Dean gave her a brief examining look, must have determined she was the least harmed and climbed off the car to tend to Sammy. She also peeled herself from the ground to the dismay of her aching bones, joints, muscles, skin, everything – and made her way to her brothers. Sam was in a bad state, one eye fulling swollen over and the other not much better.

"Oh Sammy, sweetheart, you are just one big bruise," Dani remarked in sympathy. She would have to check him for concussion when they get somewhere safe.

Between her and Dean, they got the hulking figure of Sam upright. Dani wrapped her arm around his waist and let him put his weight on her. He may be twice the height and weight of her, but she was damned if she couldn't still look after her baby brother. Meanwhile, Dean practically carried their Dad, knowing they had to get somewhere safe quickly.

* * *

Dani had tried her best to tend to her brother's injuries, despite their constant rejection of her help, so she did what she could and then went to the tiny bathroom of the abandoned cabin to tend to her own wounds. She pulled down the shoulder of her shirt to reveal nasty black and blue bruises. Deciding there as nothing she could do for the bruising, she got to work wiping the small traces of blood and grit from her skin decorating the road rash she'd earned.

Appearing from the bathroom, Dani was shocked to see Dean aiming the colt at their father while Sam watched on.

"Dean…what the hell is going on?" She questioned cautiously.

Sam didn't even turn to look at her, "That's what I said."

"He's not Dad," was Dean's simple answer.

"What?" Sam asked Dean as if out of his mind, at the same time as Dani asked, "How do you know?" That was the difference; Dani trusted Dean implicitly. They were twins. Wombmates, as they liked to joke, and growing up with that bond, she had never had a reason to distrust Dean, or question his instincts. They made a pact when they first started hunting solo together, that if one of them had a hunch, they would act on it. So far neither had let the other down.

Dani moved to Dean's side, while Sam still looked between his family members in confusion. Eventually, Sam joined his siblings and Dean held the Colt to their Dad with even more fervour.

"Fine. You kids are so sure, then kill me. Go on, shoot me." John said calmly.

Dean remained still, none of them wanting to take a lethal gamble.

Then everything went to shit.

John's whole demeanour changed as his eyes flick to yellow, "Thought so," he said coldly. "This thing has been a real pain in the ass."

All three Winchester kids are thrown against the walls of the cabin with a strong invisible force, the colt flying into Yellow Eyes' hand.

Sam and Dean make quips to the demon wearing their dad, and Yellow Eyes fired them back in equal fashion. He revealed that he has a plan for Sammy and 'others like him', but things really took a turn for the worst when Dean makes one comment too many and the demon started shredding Dean in front of his siblings. Dani screams for Dean, seemingly in more agony than her brother.

Sam called for his brother, begging the demon to stop, but Dani can barely hear over the ringing in her ears and the sound of her own wailing. The ringing gets louder and more incessant, a vibrating feeling forms in her stomach, and her hands burn.

"STOP!" She screams. Some sort of force flies out from where the feeling was in her stomach and Yellow Eyes is knocked back several paces. He's shocked.

"Well well well, I'd heard rumours but I didn't think…you are an interesting specimen. But not powerful yet, let's keep it that way, shall we?" She had no idea what he was talking about, still confused about what had just happened. She wondered if maybe Sammy had used his psychic thing, and her sensations were merely coincidental.

When the demon looked at her again, she was given the same treatment as Dean, feeling the lesions form on her skin, deep into her back, her chest, she couldn't monitor all the wounds. She felt an ache in her throat and knew she was screaming. Sam was more distressed than ever at the sight of both his older brother and sister in agony, nearing death soon.

Dean caught his breath and called out to their father, "Dad, please. Dad! Don't you let that thing kill me. Don't let it kill Dani! Save her!" At that, Dean passed out. Dani lost the energy to scream but couldn't quite succumb to unconsciousness as Dean had.

She was fairly unaware of her surroundings, not quite able to tune in to the words being said around her, but she did notice when the imperceptible force was lifted, dropping all three of them to the floor. The twins crumpled hard in a pool of their own blood.

Sam lunged for the Colt and after a brief hesitation, shot the demon and their dad in the leg.

"Dean, Dani? Are you ok? Oh god, you've lost so much blood," Sam rushes to them on the floor.

"Dad," Is all Dani can croak. Dean understands and makes Sam check on their dad.

It was still alive. Yellow Eyes was still inside John somewhere, and this was their final shot to kill it at last. John had gained control of the Demon, that much she knew. He was begging Sam to end it and kill the demon but doing so would kill their father along with it. Dean was begging Sam not to do it. Dani was shaking her head at Sam, trying to convey her agreement with Dean.

Sam hesitated for too long and the Demon smoked out, leaving the Winchester family beaten and bloody.

Dani didn't remember getting to the Impala. She was either passed out or spaced out, but Sam and her dad just wouldn't let her sleep! Whenever she or Dean began to drift into a painless unconsciousness, one or both of them would nag them to stay away, to keep their eyes open. Dani didn't want to keep her eyes open. She wanted to sleep. Everything hurt.

Presumably, Sam had placed her and Dean in the back seat together, she had been given an old blanket from the trunk to press against her bleeding wounds, while Dean had a couple of flannels from their duffle bags. The blanket was probably better, so she unfolded it, and pressed half to Dean. He smiled tightly at her in thanks and pulled her to his shoulder.

Sam was shooting them constant looks in the rear-view mirror, probably making sure they were both still conscious. Dani could hear a murmured conversation between her father and little brother in the front and met Sam's eyes in the mirror tiredly.

Then she saw the light. The bright and large headlights of an 18-wheeler shone on her left, her side of the car. She could only tense and shut her eyes as Dean pulled her instinctively into his chest. The rest was pain.

She was conscious sporadically. Noting sensation and sounds, rather than being truly aware of her surroundings.

First, she noted silence, punctuated by the ringing in her ears. In the same moment, she became aware of her position – curled uncomfortably in a footwell. Something warm was dripping into her eyes, she wanted to wipe it away but even thinking about moving her arms hurt.

The next time she woke up, she was in agony, and there was an annoying whining noise that wouldn't quit. Only when she heard Sam calling her name in panic, and felt his hand grasp onto her own, did she realise she was emitting the noise. People were prodding and poking at her and she just wanted to be left alone.

She woke up one last time. It was hard to hear anything over the constant thrumming noise around her. People were still probing her many injuries, but she felt better than before, lighter. Now the pain had receded slightly she tried to focus on what had happened. She cracked an eye open and saw Sam, also barely conscious, staring brokenly at something near her feet. She saw then that he was looking at their brother and father, both unconscious, looking in bad shape.

Dean. He was hurt bad. He protected me. He had to be ok, he had to be. She would make sure he was ok. She vaguely heard a beeping noise growing in speed, and her chest began to ache. She tried to get up, needing to go to her family. She had to make sure they were ok! Hands pushed at her and voices were calling to her – she recognised one as Sam.

She slurred out to her little brother is a panic "S'mmy… De..." And she was out.

**A/N: Season one accomplished! Dani is special in some way...maybe...is she? I've got some exciting stuff planned for our Dani, and it'll keep cropping up but not everything will be revealed for another few seasons. Any guesses?**

**A big thank you is in order to anyone who's read this so far, and of course to those who have favourited or followed! x**

**Stay tuned for season 2!**


End file.
